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By Globe Staff
 A
growing number of African- American community leaders
and organizations are rallying to a campaign to urge
former Oakland Congressman Ronald V. Dellums to run
for mayor next year.
Dellums has still not said if he will run. “This
is a grassroots effort and we are circulating petitions
at churches,” said one booster. Supporters of
the drive have set up a Draft Dellums For Mayor office
at 37548 Grand Avenue in Oakland.
Among
those backing the drive are Jake Sloan of 100 Black
Men, the Oakland Black Caucus Political Action Committee
and the Niagara Movement Democratic Club.
Many black churches are also joining the movement.
Dellums said during a recent 50th anniversary gala
for OCCUR at the downtown Marriott Hotel “I
like what I’m doing now.” He is now living
in Washington, D.C. and works as a lobbyist and consultant.
The Draft Dellums petitions say “We need a Mayor
with a proven record of success on issues that are
important to this community, including peace, economic
justice, community development, jobs, AIDS, health
care and schools.
“We need a Mayor with the imagination, courage
and principles you (Dellums) demonstrated in Congress.
We need a Mayor who will act as a unifying force,
bring together all ethnic communities, all age groups,
and all political constituencies to create solutions
to benefit all of us.”
Kimberly Mayfield, an Oakland community leader, said
“My family of educators is circulating petitions.
My mother takes petitions to her senior exercise class.
My mother-in-law is circulating them at her church
and my husband, an educator, is circulating them to
his colleagues.”
During the OCCUR gala, Geoffrey Pete, a Black Caucus
member and business owner, energized the gathering
about the need to get Dellums, the event’s keynote
speaker, to run. “Run, Ron, Run” the crowd
roared over and over.
Board of Education member Greg Hodge, and Alameda
County Treasurer Don White, the only Blacks who are
already running for mayor have said they would drop
out of the race and support Dellums.
With Mayor Jerry Brown leaving office next year to
run for state Attorney General, many Blacks in Oakland
say they want to see a third Black Mayor. Many had
backed the late Lionel Wilson and Elihu Harris. Now,
with a strong mayor form of government in place, they
want to see a proven Black leader elected.
Although Dellums lives in Washington, D.C., he has
maintained a voting address in Oakland.
Many Blacks also contend that only Dellums, who served
in Congress for 27 years, could bring out the Black
and progressive vote in Oakland and defeat the other
high profile candidates City Councilmember Ignacio
De La Fuente and Nancy Nadel and Board of Education
member Dan Siegel. They have all said that while they
respect Dellums, they are in the race to stay. Blacks
have gone from being 45 percent of Oakland to 35 percent.
“One school of thought says electing another
Black Mayor would not bring much change to the lives
of most Blacks in Oakland, and many Blacks want to
elect the best person regardless of color,”
said one City Hall insider. “The other line
of political thinking says Oakland is on the rise,
whites are moving back, jobs and retailing will return
so Blacks must stay and regain political power and
continue to work on securing economic clout.”
Brown won support from many Blacks.
During his first run for office, 10 Blacks ran or
expressed an interest in the job at some point. Blacks
said that divided the Black vote. Then Brown beat
Wilson Riles, Jr. to win reelection.
“Dellums may be our one shot at getting City
Hall back,” said one Dellums supporter. Dellums
has not commented on the draft movement.
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